邁克爾·歐文：父親是我的動力之源

by Michael Owen

It is almost every young boys dream as theyre growing up to become a professional footballer. We switch on the TV most evenings to see the game played in all its glory[光榮] by athletes[運動員] at the top of their profession. We get absorbed[吸收] in the speed and skill of the players. As we get older and have children of our own， most of us dream that one day it will be our own son strutting[昂首闊步] their stuff.

幾乎每個小男孩都夢想過長大后成為一名職業(yè)足球運動員。大多數(shù)晚上我們打開電視都能看到頂尖運動員上演的精彩絕倫的比賽。我們從他們的速度和技巧中吸取養(yǎng)分。當我們長大成人，有了自己的孩子后，我們大都夢想著有一天我們的兒子能在他自己的球場上昂首闊步，勇往直前。

There are millions of things that need to click[成功] for a budding[嶄露頭角的] young footballer to make it all the way to the top. If it was easy to make it， it wouldnt be the great game that it is.

I often get asked for advice from aspiring[有志氣的] young kids and their parents， but if I were to look back on my career and single out[挑出] one thing that stood me in good stead， it would be the environment in which I grew up. Without that， I could never have become the player I was. Of course， there are many different pathways[路徑] to the top and just because I made it doesnt mean that following my path to the letter[絲毫不差地] is the only way to do it. I have， however， seen hundreds of players with huge potential[潛力] drop out of the game for a variety of reasons.

I am one of five children. My brothers and sisters were all lightning fast. It is a genetic trait[遺傳特性] that courses through my family. I was born lucky in that respect. Sadly， muscle injuries are another family trait. My dad suffered from[受……之苦] them as a player， and my brothers and I have been plagued[折磨] by them too. It is bad luck in many ways， but some would say it is the price you pay for being quick.

Reaching the top of your profession on your own is next to impossible. Doing it with the support of others gives you a small chance. Having the support of all your family， while being guided by a father like mine， made it hard to fail. My dad， Leslie Terence Owen， was a professional footballer for 15 years， playing in the lower leagues[聯(lián)盟] for Bradford City， Chester City， Port Vale， Rochdale and Cambridge United. He is the person， more than anyone else， whom I credit[歸功于] for moulding[塑造] me into the man I am. From the minute Dad witnessed[目睹] something about me that was different， he created an unwritten set of rules， an unbreakable[牢不可破的] bond[紐帶] and an understanding between us that hardly required a word to be spoken.

一個初露頭角的年輕球員要成為世界頂尖球員需要經(jīng)過千錘百煉。要是這種成功唾手可得，足球就不會成為這么一項偉大的運動了。

年輕有志的孩子及其父母常常詢問我的建議。我回顧自己的職業(yè)生涯，會發(fā)現(xiàn)有一點令我受益匪淺，那就是我的成長環(huán)境。若不是出生在這樣的家庭，我也許就不會成為這么成功的球員了。當然，成功的道路有很多，我走對了一條路并不意味著別人只有按照我的路來走才能成功。然而，我看過許多潛力巨大的運動員由于各種各樣的原因離開了賽場。

我們家有五個孩子。我的兄弟姐妹們都跑得飛快，這是我們家族的遺傳特性。很幸運我也天生如此。不幸的是，肌肉損傷也是我們家族的另一個遺傳特性。我的父親還是運動員時便深受其害，我的兄弟和我也不能幸免。從很多方面來說，這是種不幸，不過也有人會說，這就是跑得快要付出的代價。

僅靠自己的力量達到事業(yè)的巔峰幾乎是不可能的。若是有人幫你，成功的幾率會稍微大些。而如果得到全家人的支持，再有一個像我父親這樣的指導，想不成功都難。我的父親萊斯利·特倫斯·歐文曾有著十五年的職業(yè)球員生涯，曾在低級聯(lián)盟中效力于布拉德福德、切斯特城、瓦爾港、羅奇戴爾和劍橋聯(lián)隊。我之所以有今天的成就，我認為父親厥功至偉。從父親發(fā)現(xiàn)我天賦的那一刻起，他就在我們之間制定了一套不成文的規(guī)定、一條牢不可破的紐帶和一份相互的信任，這一切盡在不言中。

One of the most important roles of any parent is to create an environment in which their children can flourish[繁榮]. My parents did just that. At an early age I was showing ability. At six， I was too young to join a football club， so Dad took me to a mini-club where Id mix it with other kids. He recalls[回憶] that I used to loiter[徘徊] around the goal[球門] waiting for a chance and， when it arrived， I would side foot[側踢] it into the corner. Not once， he says， did I ever lash[猛擊] at a ball in front of goal as a kid. It was always a calm finish， focused on accuracy[精確度]. At this point， I was showing signs of having a natural ability to play football and score goals.

What followed was a decade of dedication[奉獻] and skill from my parents. My motivation[動力] was to please my dad. He was， and still is， my hero. Putting in a good tackle[攔截搶球]， making a nice pass or scoring a great goal meant nothing in isolation[孤獨]. Taking a sneak[偷偷地] peek[一瞥] behind the goal to where Dad was standing， and being acknowledged[被認可的] by a nod or a wink of approval[認可] meant the world. On the odd[不尋常的]occasion that I played poorly or did something wrong， he couldnt hide his disappointment. He would never shout. He just wouldnt talk to me. This wasnt an intentional[故意的] ploy[策略]， just his disappointment at my performance. It was the most painful thing he could do. I had let my best mate down， and it hurt badly.

As a child， having Dad there to watch me was my comfort blanket[毯子]. He even changed jobs to one he hated， but he did it so there was more flexibility[靈活性] in his working hours. He did not want to miss a second of anything I did. I was trying to do the maths the other day. Since the age of seven， I would say I have played in around 1，250 football matches. I think he has missed around six of them and that was only because we were skint[身無分文的] and he couldnt afford to travel overseas when I was young.

The most amusing thing when I look back now is seeing Dad during my PE lessons. If we were doing cricket[板球]， rugby[橄欖球]， football or athletics[田徑]， he would find a vantage point[有利位置] somewhere to watch me. We often did cross-country[越野賽跑]. I would be ambling[緩行] along in fourth gear， totally in my comfort zone， when I would spot his car at the side of the road. Believe me， I would be in front the next time he saw me when the finishing line was in sight—not because I would be in trouble but because it was another chance to impress Dad.

I suspect many people reading this will disapprove of me feeling as if I always needed to perform at my best， given that football and other sports are meant to be fun， especially when played at a young age. I agree up to a point. Remember， I have two brothers who went through the same process. Not making it as footballers didnt scar[傷害] them and Dad is as proud of them as he is of me. What matters most to my parents is that their kids are happy and decent[正直的] people. Dad would never raise his voice， I cant recall him ever shouting at me throughout my childhood. Neither did he ever punish me for playing poorly. I simply knew how much my playing well meant to him， and I didnt ever want to disappoint.

為人父母最重要的一個作用就是為兒女創(chuàng)造一個能在其中茁壯成長的環(huán)境。我的父母在這方面做得很好。我很小的時候就展示出與眾不同的足球才能。六歲時，因為我還太小，不能加入足球俱樂部，所以父親就帶我到兒童迷你俱樂部去。在那兒我和其他孩子一起踢足球。父親回憶說，我總在球門附近徘徊，等待射門的機會，時機一到，我就會把球側踢進球門。他說我一次也沒有像普通小孩一樣在球門前亂踢。我總是很冷靜，專注于射門的精準度。在這點上，我表現(xiàn)了踢球和進球得分的天賦。

接下來就是我父母長達十年的付出與訓練。我的動力就是讓父親滿意。一直以來他都是我心目中的英雄。一個有效的攔截、一次漂亮的傳球或是一記絕妙的射門，如果沒有父親，都顯得毫無意義。偷偷瞄一眼站在球門后面的父親，他的一個認可的點頭或眨眼，對我來說就是一切。偶爾我也有發(fā)揮失?；蚍稿e誤的時候，這時父親無法掩飾他的失望。他從不沖我大吼大叫，只是不跟我說話。他并非故意如此，只是對我的表現(xiàn)感到失望，讓我最痛苦的事莫過于此。而讓我最好的搭檔失望，我也很難過。

作為一個孩子，有父親在現(xiàn)場看著我踢球，讓我覺得心安。他甚至為了我換了一份他討厭的工作，只為了有更靈活的工作時間。他不想錯過我踢球的每一個瞬間。有一天我試著算了一下，我從七歲起一共參加了約1250場球賽。我想他大概只錯過了其中的六場，而那只是因為我年少時家境拮據(jù)，他無法支付出國費用。

現(xiàn)在回想起來最有趣的事就是父親看我上體育課。如果我們上的是板球、橄欖球、足球或田徑課，他會找個有利的位置看著我。我們常做越野訓練。我本來在以自己舒服的方式悠著跑，一旦我發(fā)現(xiàn)他的車停在路邊，不騙你，他再看到我的時候我已經(jīng)火速沖到終點線了。這么做倒不是因為我怕挨訓，而是用另一種方式引起父親的注意。

我想很多讀者不贊同我的想法，好像我總得全力以赴，而足球和其他運動都旨在娛樂，尤其對于孩子而言。在一定程度上我同意這個觀點。但別忘了，我的兩個兄弟都有同樣的經(jīng)歷。不當職業(yè)球員并沒有讓他們心靈受傷，父親同樣也為他們感到驕傲。對我們的父母來說，最重要的是自己的孩子們過得快樂，為人正直。父親從不高聲說話，我記不起小時候他有對我大聲嚷嚷過，他也從不因我表現(xiàn)不佳而責罰我。我只知道我表現(xiàn)得好對他有多重要，而我也不想讓他失望。

邁克爾·詹姆斯·歐文的職業(yè)足球生涯

1996年 17歲的歐文正式簽約利物浦隊

1998年加入國家隊，成為英格蘭有史以來最年輕的球員，那時他才18歲零59天（后來被魯尼超越）

1998年在聯(lián)賽中的18顆入球使其成為該賽季英超最佳射手，當選為“年度體育風云人物”和“最佳新人”

1998年入選英格蘭代表隊出戰(zhàn)法國世界杯，在對陣阿根廷的比賽中連過四名阿根廷球員攻進了舉世震驚的一球，被載入世界杯經(jīng)典入球，一代國際巨星橫空出世

1998年獲得BBC“年度最佳運動員”稱號

2001年帶領著利物浦在各條戰(zhàn)線所向披靡，獲得聯(lián)賽杯、聯(lián)盟杯、超級杯、足總杯和慈善盾杯冠軍，并獲得當年的“歐洲足球先生”稱號

2003年獲得第二座聯(lián)賽杯冠軍

2004年攻入在利物浦隊的第158個進球，并成為國家隊出場次數(shù)與進球數(shù)并列第一的利物浦球員

2004年以1900萬英鎊的價格加盟皇馬

2005年以1600萬英鎊的價格加盟紐卡斯爾

2009年加盟曼聯(lián)

2010年在聯(lián)賽杯決賽中打進扳平比分的一球，幫助曼聯(lián)蟬聯(lián)聯(lián)賽杯冠軍

2011年在老特拉福德舉起曼聯(lián)的第19座頂級聯(lián)賽冠軍，也是第12座英超冠軍獎杯，同時也獲得了一枚英超冠軍獎牌

2012年簽約英超斯托克城俱樂部

2013年在個人網(wǎng)站上宣布將在本賽季結束后退役